âYes, Brother Ling Tian.â Upon hearing Duan Ling Tianâs words, Huanâer instantly turned to look at the old lady who was preparing to kill Duan Ling Tian. Her limpid eyes, hidden by the hat, were brimming with hostility. She had been restraining herself since earlier.The old ladyâs cultivation base was relatively profound. She was, at least, an earth-rank Great Overarching Golden Celestial. However, an earth-rank Great Overarching Golden Celestial was no match for Huanâer.
Whoosh!
A gust of cold and bitter wind appeared as Huanâer casually lifted her hand. The air seemed to have stagnated at this moment, it was as though it was frozen. She waved her hand, and the cold wind blew toward the old lady, shrouding the old lady before she could even reach Duan Ling Tian.
In just a blink of an eye, the old lady was frozen into an ice sculpture before everyoneâs eyes. One could still vaguely see the unsightly expression on her face through the layer of ice.
Swoosh!
The old lady that had been turned into an ice block was still flying toward Duan Ling Tian due to inertia, albeit at a slower speed.
âBrother Ling Tian,â Huanâer called out softly. In just a flash, she was back to his side, holding his hand. She effortlessly brought him away from the frozen old lady.
Boom!
The ice sculpture fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The old lady was dead! In fact, before she had landed on the ground, she had already died when she was frozen. Now that the ice sculpture had shattered, her remains were pieces as well.
Roar!
The commotion had startled the nine-headed Celestial Beast, causing it to become restless. It glared at Duan Ling Tian with its bright red eyes and charged at him, seemingly determined to trample him to death.
Duan Ling Tian was about to make a move to kill the nine-headed Celestial Beast, but Huanâer was a step ahead of him.
Whoosh!
A gust of cold wind swept out and bound the frenzied beast to the ground. The nine-headed Celestial Beast stood frozen on the street like a realistic ice sculpture on display.
At this moment, Duan Ling Tian glanced at the stunned Zhou Shu Dong who sat paralyzed on the ground. He said indifferently, âMiss Zhou, Iâll spare your life out of respect for the Zhou clan. I hope you make the best out of it!â Then, he turned to Huanâer and said with a smile, âHuanâer, letâs go.â
âMm!â Huanâer nodded cutely and left with Duan Ling Tian. At the same time, she asked curiously through Voice Transmission, âBrother Ling Tian, why did you spare her? She wanted to kill me...â
âHuanâer, I didnât kill her because I donât want to be forced to leave the capital of Soaring Dragon Celestial Kingdom so soon after we arrived. You donât like being constantly on the run, do you? I plan to stay in the kingdom for a while before I plan my next move. This Miss Zhou comes from an extraordinary family. If we kill her, weâll definitely anger the Zhou clan and the Imperial family. Itâs easy to kill her, but it wonât be worth it.â
Although both Duan Ling Tian and Zhou Shu Dong were Blue Sun Golden Celestials, he could easily kill her if he so wished. After all, his strength was much greater than what his cultivation base indicated. He could easily kill an ordinary Great Overarching Golden Celestial without using the Devata Artifact, the Seven Orifices Exquisite Sword, let alone a mere Blue Sun Golden Celestial.
After listening to Duan Ling Tianâs explanation, Huanâer nodded even though she did not fully understand his words.
The busy street was deathly silent as the duo left under everyoneâs watchful eyes. When the pedestrians regained their senses, their figures had already disappeared at the end of the street. All of them inhaled sharply and looked at each other in disbelief.
âRemarkable strength!â
âThe white-clad lady wearing the veil and the hat is terrifying!â
âShe must be an Overarching Heavenly Supreme Celestial at least!â
âShe would have to be an Overarching Heavenly Supreme Celestial, at least, to display such strength. The old lady she killed was an elder who frequently accompanied the fourth miss of the Zhou clan. She was an earth-rank Great Overarching Golden Celestial!â
âOverarching Heaven Supreme Celestial... It seems like their background isnât simple as well.â
âYou donât say... Look at them strolling around the capital after killing the old lady from the Zhou Clan. Itâs clear they have no intention of fleeing. Itâs obvious they arenât afraid of the Zhou Clan.â
âHowever, it seems like they still have a measure of respect for the Zhou clan since they didnât kill the fourth miss.â
The onlookers glanced at Zhou Shu Dong furtively as they whispered among themselves. She was still sitting on the ground in a stupor, clearly traumatized by the event.
...
Meanwhile, Duan Ling Tian and Huanâer continued exploring the capital of the Soaring Dragon Celestial Kingdom before they finally chose an inn to settle in. They had specially chosen an inn that belonged to the Nian clan, the enemy of the Zhou clan.
The Nian clan was also one of the top clans in the Soaring Dragon Celestial Kingdom, comparable to the Zhou Clan. Similar to the Zhou Clan, they were relatives of the Imperial family as well.
The inn was called Fleeting Time Inn. It was an extremely huge inn. There were 999 rooms available. All guest rooms had their own independent courtyards and Noise-Canceling and Spirit Gathering Formations. The cost for a guest room per night was ten prominent Celestial Stones. It was unaffordable for most people.
A pageboy showed them around the inn as they passed through different courtyards.
â999 guest rooms... Moreover, it seems like the occupancy rate is quite high. Even if they only rent out half the rooms a day, their daily income is 5,000 prominent Celestial Stones. Ten days will earn them 50,000 prominent Celestial Stones, a month would earn them 150,000 prominent Celestial Stones, and a year would earn them 1,800,000 prominent Celestial Stones...â Duan Ling Tian calculated inwardly as he marveled at his surroundings. He was astonished by the innâs income. After a while, he asked, âYoung man, itâs my first time in the Fleeting Time Inn... Can you tell me more about the inn?â
âYes, of course,â the pageboy replied respectfully, âDear guest, although the cost per night here is high, I guarantee you itâs great value for your money... Not only does the inn have one of the best cultivation environments in the city, but there are also many Overarching Heavenly Supreme Celestials from the Nian Clans overseeing the inn so you wonât be disturbed. Itâs a safe haven here, provided you didnât offend the Imperial family or forces stronger than high-rank Celestial Kingdoms. This is one of the reasons why itâs so costly to stay here. Staying here is like having a Life Saving Talisman.â
Duan Ling Tianâs eyes brightened when he heard the pageboyâs words. He had specifically chosen this inn because the Nian Clan and the Zhou Clan were sworn enemies. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for the Zhou clan to cause a ruckus in the Nian clanâs territory. However, he did not expect the inn would provide protection for their guests as well. This came as a pleasant surprise to him. âSo, even if one has offended the Zhou clan, itâs still safe to stay here?â
âThe Zhou clan?â The pageboy was taken aback by Duan Ling Tianâs question. However, he quickly replied, âOf course! The Zhou clan and Nian clan are enemies, itâs impossible for them to act recklessly here. The same goes for the other factions. Weâre not afraid of them!â Then, he added, âDear guest, on average, 80% of the guests stay here to avoid their enemies. Hence, you can rest assured itâs safe here.â
Duan Ling Tian nodded.
âOur guest rooms are also equipped with Noise-Canceling Formations and Spirit Gathering Formations. The cultivation environment...â the pageboy continued to say.
However, Duan Ling Tian no longer paid attention to the pageboyâs words. Cultivation environment? With Huanâer around and her Divine Crystal, he would still have the best cultivation environment even if he was in the middle of nowhere. He did not choose to stay in the inn for its cultivation environment. He only chose to stay here for the protection it offered.
Realization suddenly dawned on Duan Ling Tian. âNo wonder there were dozens of people waiting outside the Fleeting Time Inn... Those people must be waiting for their enemies to come out.â
When they finally arrived at their room, Duan Ling Tian tipped the pageboy with a prominent Celestial Stone before he asked with a smile, âYoung man, whatâs your name?â
The pageboyâs eyes brightened. He reached and took to the prominent Celestial Stone at lightning speed and expressed his gratitude. âThank you, sir. You can call me Little Six.â
âAll right,â Duan Ling Tian nodded and continued to say, âLittle Six, Iâll need your help in the future to run some errands for me... What do you think? Is there a way for me to contact you? Donât worry, Iâll make it worth your while.â
The pageboy routinely took out a strip of red cloth from his pocket and handed it to Duan Ling Tian. He said with a smile, âDear guest, if thereâs a need for my service, all you need to do is just hang this strip of red cloth on the door. At that time, Iâll come to you.â